The Watcher

A 'Stargate Universe' producer takes issue with criticism of the show. Here's my response

In October, I published my review of "Stargate Universe," and subsequently on Twitter, I also expressed my disappointment with the Syfy show. In my recent review of "V," I mentioned a couple of prominent genre shows that had premiered this fall, including "FlashForward" and "Stargate Universe." My comments about the latter show weren't complimentary. That prompted "Stargate Universe" executive producer Brad Wright to leave the following comment on my "V" review: "Maureen, I find people who write 'I have no axe to grind' are often the ones most likely to grind axes. Taking the time to slam 'SGU' in your...

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Mailbag time: Answering questions on 'Lost,' 'Damages,' 'Southland,' 'Sons of Anarchy' and more

Questions, you’ve got questions. Below, I try to answer a few of them: Mary O'Malley: Please tell me what is happening with the second season of "Southland." Mo sez: While I was on vacation, the news broke that the cable network TNT has picked up "Southland," which NBC had planned to air in October but then canceled before Season 2 debuted. The first seven episodes of "Southland," which NBC showed in the spring, will air on TNT starting Jan. 12. TNT will then air the six episodes that had been filmed for "Southland's" second season. After all 13 episodes have...

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Paging Dr. Sexy: Let's talk about 'Supernatural's' enjoyable 'Changing Channels'

Welcome, veteran commenters, newcomers and fellow "Supernatural" fans of all kinds! Let's discuss "Changing Channels," Thursday's episode of the CW show. For information about upcoming episodes of the show, look here. For all my stories on "Supernatural," look here. If you are new around here, please take a minute to review the commenting rules at the end of this post. If you don't see your comment show up below, those rules might give you an insight as to why that happened. Now, on to some thoughts about "Changing Channels"... Tandem bike! "Jackpot"! Sam as the voice of the Metallicar! There...

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Katee Sackhoff and Tricia Helfer stage 'Battlestar' takeover of CBS comedies

Near the end of this post, you'll find a photo of Katee Sackhoff in the Nov. 23 episode of "The Big Bang Theory." If you hadn't heard about her appearance on the fine CBS comedy, here's my story about Sackhoff's upcoming "Big Bang" visit, as well as my general thoughts about the show's pleasing third season. I've put the photo and the episode summary below in case you don't want to see the circumstances of the appearance by Sackhoff, who is most famous for playing Kara "Starbuck" Thrace on "Battlestar Galactica" and is a series regular on the upcoming season...

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Got questions for the Watcher? Leave them here

Quite a few reader queries piled up in my email in-box last week when I was on vacation. So in a few days I'll be posting a "Mo Answers Your TV-related questions" column. I thought I'd give folks another chance to submit questions here. Please make sure they're TV-related. You don't want me giving you life advice. OK, maybe you do, but not on these here Internets. That sort of thing is better done with a wineglass or coffee mug in hand.

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More 'Party Down' to arrive in spring (plus Megan Mullally's <i>other</i> comedy gig)

I know the headline above is a little on the boring side, but I was trying to avoid the obvious "Let's get this party started -- again!" headline. And I couldn't come up with something more creative on short notice. In any case, don't let the rather blah headline make you think I'm not excited about the return of "Party Down." The show, which returns to Starz in April, is a delight. I anxiously await more adventures with the cater-waiters of the Party Down crew. The one downside to the new season is that Jane Lynch's new gig on "Glee"...

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Things TV is never allowed to do again, ever

Heads up: I'm appearing at the Hideout Nov. 11 as part of this Funny Ha-Ha event. I'll be doing a reading of some kind, and though I've got some material together, my plans aren't set in stone. I'd thought about reading verbatim excerpts from the most angry/vitriolic comments or emails I've ever received via the Watcher site, but another idea had occurred to me. I could compile a List of Things TV Is Never Allowed to Do Again, Ever. Here are a few suggestions off the top of my head to get things started: No one is ever allowed to...

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First look at Mark Sheppard on 'Supernatural' (and a few thoughts on Thursday's fun episode)

Below is the first picture of Mark Sheppard, who plays a key role in the Nov. 19 episode of "Supernatural." UPDATE: I've added more pictures below from the Nov. 12 and the Nov. 19 episodes. I've put the picture a few paragraphs down because what Sheppard's character is holding... could be considered a spoiler. Dun-dun-dun! "Abandon All Hope...," the episode in which Sheppard appears, is the final "Supernatural" episode of 2009. And now we know exactly how long we'll have to go Winchester-less: The show will return Jan. 14 with new episodes. I'm looking forward to seeing what Sheppard (who...

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'V' aliens say they come in peace. <i>Sure!</i> A review of the compelling sci-fi series

Some new shows fly under the radar, but not "V" (7 p.m. Central Tuesday, ABC; three and a half stars). Of course, those giant alien ships may have something to do with "V's" high profile. (Note: The review that follows does not contain spoilers. The video clip below contains the first 9 minutes of the "V" premiere.) If you've seen any of the ABC promos for "V," you've probably seen a glimpse of one of those ships hovering over a city, or you may have seen a commercial in which the aliens' alluring spokeswoman says that the folks in those...

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Let's talk 'Mad Men': 'The Grown-Ups'

The following post discusses "The Grown-Ups," Sunday's episode of "Mad Men." "It felt for a second like everything was about to change." Pete Campbell So. The calamity we've all been waiting for happened. Before I get into my reactions to "The Grown-Ups," I first have to praise one of the show's unheralded players. Deborah Lacey has been subtle and terrific as Carla for three seasons now. And her reaction to the death of John F. Kennedy sent chills over my whole body, both times I watched the episode. We've probably all seen those grainy bits of footage -- or excerpts...

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Coach Taylor faces a challenge as 'Friday Night Lights' returns

Coach Eric Taylor of “Friday Night Lights” (8 p.m. Central Wednesday, DirecTV's 101 Network; three and a half stars) has had his share of ups and downs, but Season 4 of the show finds him as down as he has ever been, professionally speaking. Even when things weren’t going well for the Dillon Panthers, the high school football team he led with sternness and compassion, Taylor (Kyle Chandler) still had excellent facilities and an extensive staff at his disposal. Money wasn’t really a problem for the Panthers, a perennial powerhouse in Texas football. Of course, “Friday Night Lights” has always...

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'The League' takes a pass at depicting the world of fantasy football

Speaking of football, a new comedy on FX depicts a group of friends who may be as sports-obsessed as the most loyal Dillon boosters on "Friday Night Lights." I’d been looking forward to “The League” (9:30 p.m. Central Thursday, FX; one star) which is set in Chicago and depicts the antics of a group of men in a fantasy football league. My husband has been playing fantasy football for a decade and I could only imagine the humor to be mined from the obsession with stats and the delicious torture of picking the right roster of players each week. But...

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Let's talk 'Mad Men': 'The Gypsy and the Hobo'

The following post discusses "The Gypsy and the Hobo," Sunday's episode of "Mad Men." "I'm not saying a new name is easy to find." Don to Annabelle. "I'm not going anywhere." Don/Dick to Betty. "And who are you supposed to be?" Carlton to Don. I find myself without a huge array of things to say about "The Gypsy and the Hobo." Not because it was uneventful -- far from it -- but because what happened in this terrific episode was so straightforward and unambiguous. It centered on the truth. We saw Don finally telling Betty the truth (and what an...

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'In Treatment' to return to HBO

HBO announced Friday that it has ordered a third season of the drama "In Treatment," which stars Gabriel Byrne as therapist Paul Weston. A third season had been in some doubt, as Byrne has said in interviews that he finds the role (which he plays very well) quite challenging. That's understandable; his character is in almost every scene and much of his work involves reacting to and working through thorny issues with the sometimes challenging patients in his care. The show is changing head writers again, as it has done every season so far. Anya Epstein of HBO’s “Tell Me...

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What's to come on 'Supernatural': The sweeps edition

UPDATE Oct. 23: I've added a clip from the Oct. 29 episode. The CW has released information regarding its plans for sweeps. (It's also dismissed two actors from "Melrose Place," neither of which will be missed much.) Anyway, Lady Gaga stops by "Gossip Girl" Nov. 16! Heather Locklear stirs things up at the new "Melrose Place" Nov. 17! Vampires bite! Whatever! Let's just get to what's happening on "Supernatural," shall we? Spoilers ahoy. Some of these summaries and photos come from a previous "Supernatural" posts (all of which can be found here). The first video clip contains footage from the...

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Charming 'White Collar' just loose enough to be comfortable

There are several good reasons to watch “White Collar” (9 p.m. Central Friday, USA; three stars). Two of them reside on either side of Matthew Bomer’s nose, just below his forehead. USA apparently thinks so much of Bomer’s arresting blue eyes that it has designed this likable cop-caper’s ad campaign — and maybe even the show’s palette — around his peepers. “White Collar’s” visuals are full of cool blues, grays, whites and blacks, and the director of photography never wastes a chance to focus on those cornflower-blue orbs. The good news is that there are more than two reasons to...

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Effective 'Endgame' depicts the last days of apartheid

One of the dangers of making a film about a historical event is that the outcome is already known. The creators of “Endgame,” (8 p.m. Sunday, WTTW-Ch. 11; three stars) a Masterpiece Contemporary film about the last days of apartheid in South Africa, neatly avoid this trap by focusing on lesser-known players in the events. The most famous character in the film is Nelson Mandela, but “Endgame’s” deft depiction of the political maneuvering regarding his eventual release proves interesting. And it’s a pleasure to watch actor Clarke Peters (“The Wire”) play the former political prisoner (who became president of South...

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Geek frenzy: 'Battlestar's' Katee Sackhoff to guest on 'Big Bang Theory'

UPDATE: I've added a clip from the Nov. 2 episode of "Big Bang Theory." "The Big Bang Theory" has been so delightful this season that it doesn't need to do much more to win me over. It's already evolved into one of the most enjoyable comedies on the air. But if the nerd-tastic CBS comedy is going to keep offering up "Battlestar Galactica"-related goodies, I'm sure not going to stop them. I can exclusively reveal that Katee Sackhoff, formerly Kara "Starbuck" Thrace on "Battlestar," will have a small role in the Nov. 23 episode of "Big Bang Theory." Sackhoff, who...

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Tune-in alert: 'Dollhouse' is touching (and delightfully twisted) in coming weeks

Update: The Friday, Oct. 23, episode of "Dollhouse" will air as planned. However the show will not air episodes in November and will return in December. Details here. At this point, you may be thinking, "Ryan, shut up about 'Dollhouse' already. Write about 'Desperate Housewives' or 'CSI: Des Moines' or something." Well, no such luck. I'm writing about "Dollhouse" again, even though I have a ton of work to do because I'm taking next week off. When the next two episodes of the Fox show landed on my doorstep Tuesday, I thought I might be able to watch them. But...

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Oprah to interview Sarah Palin

Oprah Winfrey will interview former Alaska governor Sarah Palin on her talk show on Nov. 16. Winfrey will get the first interview that the former vice presidential candidate is giving to promote her new book, "Going Rogue." "[F]ollowing her decision to step down as governor of her home state of Alaska, and on the eve of the release of her first book, Palin will speak first to Oprah in a world exclusive interview," a statement from Oprah's production company said on Tuesday. You may recall that there was a kerfuffle when a report emerged in September 2008 that Winfrey, a...

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Jason Momoa and other casting confirmed for HBO's 'Thrones'

Another day, another round of "Game of Thrones" casting. Over the weekend, as I noted in this story, news emerged that "Stargate Atlantis" actor Jason Momoa has been cast as horse lord Khal Drogo in the epic saga "Game of Thrones." "GoT" began filming its pilot in Northern Ireland this week (other locations include Scotland and Morocco). HBO confirmed the casting for several other roles in the drama today: Jamie Campbell-Bower (of "The Twilight Saga: New Moon") as Waymar Royce Joseph Mawle as Benjen Stark Richard Ridings as Gared Ron Donachie as Ser Rodrik Cassel Donald Sumpter as Maester Luwin...

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Am I 'Blue'? Let's talk about last night's 'Mad Men'

The following post discusses "The Color Blue," Sunday's episode of "Mad Men." "I am afflicted, OK? It's not a question of will. I can't change that." As I watched "The Color Blue" for the first time, I thought the Sterling Cooper party that everyone kept mentioning would not be shown. That would be in line with "Mad Men's" affinity for elliptical storytelling. But then as I watched the episode the second time, I realized how necessary it was to show the event. The entire episode was about how things appear vs. how they really are. It was about the perceptions...

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Think of the 'Children'! Let's talk about last night's 'Supernatural'

The following episode discusses "I Believe the Children Are Our Future," last night's "Supernatural" episode. Before I get to my thoughts on the episode, some housekeeping: 1. Next week the CW airs a repeat of the season premiere, so obviously, I won't be reviewing that again. If you want to know what's coming up in some of the episodes after that, look here. That post has pictures and episode summaries from the next two episodes, as well as a "Coming Soon" video clip. (All my other "Supernatural" stories and reviews are here.) 2. I'll be out of town Oct. 29...

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And now for something completely excellent: A history of 'Monty Python's Flying Circus'

Even if you don't like Terry Gilliam's films, if you're a comedy fan, you owe him a huge debt. In one of the most spectacularly shortsighted decisions in television history, at one point the BBC decided to erase the master tapes of "Monty Python's Flying Circus." Of course, "reuse and recycle" is an admirable idea, but I shudder to think of the loss to comedy if the penny-pinching BBC had deprived us of the dead parrot, the silly walks, the lumberjacks and the Spam-loving Vikings spawned by the landmark British sketch show. Someone from the BBC who thought Gilliam might...

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What's coming up on 'Supernatural': Video goodness and episode summaries

UPDATE Oct. 17: I've added pictures from the Nov. 5 episode below. "Supernatural" fans, there are some goodies below for you. Look below for summaries of the next three episodes of the CW show, including Thursday's installment, as well as the killer "Coming Soon" video clip that aired at the end of last week's epidoe. The "Coming Soon" clip is a compilation of moments from the episodes listed below. Spoilers ahoy. The first four photos on this post are from the Oct. 29 episode. The rest are from the Nov. 5 episode. The summaries below are from the CW. “I...

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'30 Rock' gleefully bites the hand that feeds it as Season 4 begins

As it returns for its fourth season, “30 Rock” (8:30 p.m. Central Thursday, NBC; three and a half stars) may just set a record. Not for Emmy wins, though the show, which won its third best-comedy Emmy in September, isn’t doing too shabby in that department: It picked up a record-setting 22 nods when nominations were announced in July. No, the record that creator and star Tina Fey appears to be going for concerns the number of real-life references and insider jokes that one half-hour comedy can make. “30 Rock,” which is set at a fictional NBC sketch comedy show,...

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The 'Games' afoot: HBO's 'Game of Thrones' gears up

HBO says the official start date of production on the pilot of "Game of Thrones," one of the network's most hotly anticipated projects, is Oct. 24. Principal photography begins in earnest the following week in Northern Ireland. Other filming locations reportedly include Scotland and Morocco (HBO has not confirmed those locations, but George R.R. Martin, the author of the book series on which "Thrones" is based, has said he plans to go to Morocco for the filming of part of the pilot). The network also confirmed that Isaac Hempstead-Wright has been cast in the key role of Bran Stark, the...

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Good news for 'Modern Family' and 'Dollhouse'; possible good news for 'Chuck' and 'Southland'

Let's peruse some recent TV news regarding "Dollhouse," "Modern Family," "FlashForward," "Chuck" and a few other shows, shall we? The Hollywood Reporter broke the story that Fox has promised to air all 13 episodes that the network ordered for "Dollhouse's" second season. This feels like deja vu all over again -- in a good way. Last spring, the network renewed "Dollhouse," despite its low Nielsen ratings (the fact that "Dollhouse" got a huge viewership boost when DVR, online and iTunes views were added in worked in the show's favor). DVR numbers for the show also helped it this time around,...

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'CSI' sends Ray Langston on a three-city, crossover odyssey

CBS is planning a "CSI" extravaganza for November sweeps -- star Laurence Fishburne (Dr. Raymond Langston) will appear in all three scene-of-the-crime shows in one week, and the whole thing wraps up on the flagship "CSI" on Nov. 12. Mild spoilers about the episodes follow. Langston will first visit "CSI: Miami" on Nov. 9; he travels south in an episode titled "Bone Voyage" to investigate a case with ties to Las Vegas. Fishburne and "CSI: Miami" star David Caruso are pictured at left; perhaps Langston and Horatio Caine are talking about cool sunglasses, which Langston is still sporting when he...

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'Mad Men,' 'Wee Small Hours': Let's talk about the episode

The following post discusses "Wee Small Hours," Sunday's episode of "Mad Men." "Who do you think you're talking to?" That may be the most chilling line Don Draper has ever uttered. Or maybe it's this: "You people." Not that we needed it, but that scene with Sal proved that Don can be … well. I can't use profanity on this blog. Provide the epithet of your choice. I wrote some choice ones in my notebook while watching this episode. It's not just that Don threw Sal under the bus. Sal! Sal, who kept his real self tightly compartmentalized, who was...

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